Senator Tim Kaine spoke with reporters on Wednesday about the late Congressman Donald McEachin and the recent shootings in Virginia. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
Sen. Kaine opened the press conference with a few memories of Rep. McEachin, who he'd known since they were in their 20s. McEachin died on Monday at age 61.
TIM KAINE: What a joy it was for me to both count him as a friend, but especially, when he joined the Virginia federal delegation after his 2016 election, the last six years of working with him as my congressman. … I'm going to miss him so very much. … He's going to have a successor, but he won't really have a replacement.
Reflecting on the recent gun violence that has scarred the University of Virginia and Chesapeake, Kaine noted that, in both of these shootings, and the one at Club Q in Colorado Springs –
KAINE: There were warning signs about the person that committed these horrible crimes. … We need to create mechanisms on campuses, within workforces, within society generally, where you can take a warning sign, if you think there is one, not to get somebody in trouble, but to make sure that they get some help.
He said he believes Congress and Virginia are moving in the right direction with Extreme Risk Protection Orders, also known as 'red flag laws,' although enforcing them uniformly is an issue.
